John Wickens

The second son of James Stephen Wickens of Chandos Street, Cavendish Square, London by his wife, Anne Goodenough, daughter of John Hayter of Winterbourne Stoke, Wiltshire, was born at his father's house on 13 June 1815.

[1] A conveyancer and equity draftsman, Wickens had a practice that reaped the benefit when in 1852 a number of leading juniors took silk.

[2] In 1868 Wickens was made vice-chancellor of the county palatine of Lancaster on the elevation of Sir William Milbourne James as Lord Justice of Appeal.

In 1871 he was elected a bencher of his inn, and in April of that year was raised to the bench as Vice-Chancellor of England in succession to Sir John Stuart, and was knighted.

[1] Wickens's health broke down within a short period of his appointment, and he died at his seat, Chilgrove, near Chichester, on 23 October 1873.